


hold me closer, tiny dancer

by Smol_mae



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic Avengers, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hospitalization, M/M, Parent Tony Stark, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Natasha Romanov, Protective Pepper Potts, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark is Good With Kids, Worried Tony Stark, absolute mother hens, everybody is protective
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2020-10-19 11:34:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20656556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smol_mae/pseuds/Smol_mae
Summary: New York City died for a moment.Despite being on the seventieth floor of Stark Tower, Tony's office is never safe from the hustle and bustle of the notorious city of life. But in that moment, the buzz of human activity fizzled out. Cars stopped smoking through the streets, their engines muted, people's voices left their mouths in wisps of air.New York City died, just for a second, whilst Tony Stark tried and failed to compute the very simple words which left the woman's mouth.He sputtered for a minute, like Dum-e on that unfortunately not isolated occasion that he wanted to copy his creator and threw coffee over his system, except this time there was no sparks and nobody rushed to comfort him and save him from the apparent sizzling of his internal organs.Anais remained expressionless, waiting patiently enough for the genius to gather his wits and respond on a marginally intelligent level."Are you- I mean are you sure that it's mine?".





	1. blue jean baby

"Really? You guys actually want to go?".

Tony's eyes flick over the four identical faces in front of him, trying not to lock with the innocent sets of baby blues for fear of crumbling.

They're relentless, unavoidable, these children are the bane of his life.

Fin's head cocks to the side, waves bouncing, eyelashes brushing across constellations of freckles, "Please, Daddy".

He averts his eyes to the ground, if he sees those kids grinning back at him then he'll lose his dramatic flair to a dopey smile, "I can't believe this utter betrayal, from my own flesh and blood no less".

Usually, he would've been able to play the charade for a little longer, to maintain his stone wall until he decided it was time to put his victim out of it's misery- but Austen giggles and he can't help but huff out a laugh, pulling the closest quadruplet - Noah - into his side.

"You four are the worst".

Finley snorts, a poor attempt at concealing a laugh, and he begins to resent the Stark snark that he 100% passed down to them.

"Finley-Rhodes?" he fights the smile battling it's way onto his face, "Have you something you wish to declare?".

Subconsciously, the child mirrors his expression, trying desperately to prevent the corners of rosy lips from twitching upwards, "Nooo?". The word is elongated and lilts at the end, curls falling in front of soft eyes as a tiny body sways, "It's just that... I'm sensing a hint of jealousy about this Oscorp trip". A faux concerned expression is maintained for a moment, before melting into a typical Finley grin, the same one that pops onto all of the quad's faces every single time any of them do something cheeky.

"Why you little-" Tony lurches forwards from his seat on the couch, lunging in an attempt to grab the child, who squeals and desperately scrambles to get away. Finley slides across the floorboards, narrowly missing the coffee table, siblings shouting words of encouragement. The kid probably would have made it out of the room if it wasn't for Clint's entrance.

He steps into the doorway, scooping the flailing body off of the ground in one swift movement and practically throwing the kid over his shoulder, "You're too small, Fin, you make it too easy".

"I'm not too small!", Fin protests, trying fruitlessly to wriggle out of his grip but failing miserably, "I'm just.. fun sized".

The archer huffs out a laugh, handing the quad over to a smug dad. Tony mimics the child's pout and drops the body onto the couch, pausing for a moment with a shit-eating grin plastered across his face before attacking his child with tickles.

Fin shrieks, tiny hands proving to be useless in defence as the nine-year-old writhes and attempts to wriggle off of the couch completely. Pleas for mercy fall on deaf ears and Tony probably would have continued to torture the child for much longer if it wasn't for the desperation which almost caused his kid to be flung right off the couch. He panics for a moment, before his hands move of their own accord and grip tiny shoulders before Fin can pass the point of no return.

"Woah, okay, that's enough of that. If that went on for much longer I think you'd manage to give me a stomach ulcer". The mechanic gathers his smallest child from the couch into his arms and sits down with his baby in his lap. Following his lead, the three remaining quads gravitate around their dad, as though mimicking ducklings.

Fin plays at being put-out, but snuggles into their dad's chest all the same, "So can we go?".

Tony smiles softly at their bambi eyes, innocent and pure, "Yes of course you can go, I'm only playing, just don't get yourselves into any trouble", he pauses to let the information sink in, "And yes, I'm looking at you Finley Stark, I know how you and Peter get".

And perhaps if Finley had remembered this vital instruction, everything may have turned out differently. But they didn't, and everything was (for lack of a better cliche), flipped quite literally upside down.


	2. lay me down in sheets of linen

Anais Clark moved as though the elements flowed through her veins. 

Slim, tanned limbs floated in repetitive, smooth movements which captured the eye of anybody in a mile-radius. Her hips rotated, drawing gentle, but indescribably powerful rings. Perfectly formed, platinum curls bounced around her body, a body so perfect it could've been sculpted out of stone.

Anais Clark could seduce anybody with so much as a glance, and she knew.

As soon as Tony Stark had a hint of those caramel eyes, he was like a dog on a scent. He had to have her. He wanted to feel those curves, to exchange oxygen with those lips, to mirror her polished swoops and swings.

Everybody else was irrelevant, blank faces swimming in an ocean of nothingness. 

He pushed his way past the bodies, eyes fixed on the woman who he could only really describe as a goddess. Because she had to be a goddess, he'd never seen anybody so impossibly perfect.

She resembled something like a trophy. Everything about her was bathed in a golden hue, her hair, her eyes, her skin.

Tony had found himself admiring her curves, like polished brass that had been moulded just for him to take home and enjoy the glory.

And she was intelligent.

They exchanged few words, her body did all of the talking for them. She didn't need to talk to portray her intelligence, it was radiating from her irises. 

He took her home, Happy drove and Tony locked lips with Anais in the back seat. Seat belts disregarded, they kissed and grabbed at each other for the whole twenty minutes, desperate and heated. It was messy and sweaty and disgusting, but Tony didn't care because he was drunk and this woman was hot and he didn't want to think about the tragic death of his parents or the constant ache in his chest. 

When he woke up in the morning, she was already gone, another token of her intelligence. 

She understood that she was just another nameless face in a long list of one night stands and wasn't about to stick around to be humiliated. 

Anais Clark was almost an oxymoron in herself, beautiful and tall and tanned, willing to sleep with anybody for kicks, for just a snapshot of exhilaration. But she was dignified, and perspicacious, and above all she was self-aware.

Anais Clark was unlike anybody else that Tony had slept with before, and that's only one of the reasons he'd never forget. 

He hadn't expected to see her again. 

That's how it typically works with one night stands, either that or you bump into them and have a really awkward conversation in the middle of Walmart, but Tony Stark didn't do Walmart. If he had to leave the house, he'd send someone out to do it for him. 

So, he hadn't expected to see her again.

That was, until she marched right into his office.

Having recently been growing a spark with his personal assistant, Tony's stomach dropped. Anais was a one night stand, from over two months ago. He hadn't intended on having any extended connections with her, not strings. Things had been better, him and Pepper had been getting along, she was helping him to sort out his self-destructive habits and he was softening to her. He'd have been damned if he'd have admitted it out loud, but he wanted to settle with her. He wanted to put his playboy tendencies behind him and start something soft and warm with a woman he really loved.

She looked just as beautiful as before, if not a little more composed and tidier. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, situated half-way down her head so that the locks flowed over her left shoulder. A white blouse tucked neatly into her gray pencil skirt, the top few buttons left untouched to reveal a hint of implicit cleavage. Under her right arm, she held a black and rather inconspicuous-looking folder.

Despite her business-like appearance, something seemed off, and it wasn't just her unexpected arrival. 

It sat over the room like a dark cloud, heavy and ominous, but Anais wasted no time in throwing herself into the chair pulled up to the billionaire's desk and placing the file on the wooden surface.

Tony blinked at it for a moment, then at the woman in front of him, before his hand fell away from his mouse in an aborted movement to close the tabs. What would Anais get out of stealing his business ideas? 

More importantly, why is she here in the first place?

Except that isn't what he asked. The words must've gotten lost or muddled somewhere on the way to his mouth, because the question that tumbled off his tongue was, "How did you get past security?".

He doesn't think he was actually anticipating an explanation, the silent, smug smile that bloomed across her familiar lips failed to surprise him at all, but he was slightly unnerved by her sly and calculating nature. 

Silence again.

Anais' eyes wondered around the room, taking in the glass walls and immaculate carpet. She scanned over the narcissistic portraits on the walls and her smirk was amplified. 

Then, in a split second, it was gone. 

The smirk was wiped from her face and replaced with a look that Tony can only compare to the one which Pepper enrolled when entering the boardroom. It was intimidating and powerful and so so attractive. A month before, the philanthropist would've leapt at the chance to kiss it right off her face. But a month before he wouldn't have connected it to Pepper; Things change.

However violent and shocking the change in personality, nothing could have prepared him for the sentence which Anais spoke next. It was only a few words, ones which the woman had swilled about in her mouth for days, preparing herself to spit out, devoid of emotion and hollow. She was ready to turn the billionaire's world upside down, to flip his view of everything. Knowledge is power and she had knowledge.

"I'm pregnant. It's yours".


	3. handing tickets out for god

New York City died for a moment. 

Despite being on the seventieth floor of Stark Tower, Tony's office is never safe from the hustle and bustle of the notorious city of life. But in that moment, the buzz of human activity fizzled out. Cars stopped smoking through the streets, their engines muted, people's voices left their mouths in wisps of air. 

New York City died, just for a second, whilst Tony Stark tried and failed to compute the very simple words which left the woman's mouth.

He sputtered for a minute, like Dum-e on that unfortunately not isolated occasion that he wanted to copy his creator and threw coffee over his system, except this time there was no sparks and nobody rushed to comfort him and save him from the apparent sizzling of his internal organs. 

Anais remained expressionless, waiting patiently enough for the genius to gather his wits and respond on a marginally intelligent level.

"Are you- I mean are you sure that it's mine?".

A perfectly shaped eyebrow arched above one of her almond eyes, "Tony I don't know what you're insinuating, but I am one hundred percent positive that it is yours".

He blanched again, trying desperately to think in a straight line. Sure, he'd had paternity claims before, but they'd always proven to be false and never once had the pregnant woman in question waltzed right into his office. 

He had a protocol for this, set up by Obadiah (long before he attempted to kill him), he knew he did. Come on Tony; Think.

And it came to him in a tsunami wave, a scripted spiel he prepared long ago which was just waiting to be unearthed.

"Right.. right okay. I have a strong team of custody lawyers who will help set up the child support. Of course, money is no object. I can ensure that you live a comfortable and financially stable life with your child. They'll of course have access to the best education all the way through to college and I will cover any medical bills. Naturally, I'll allow you to raise them without my influence and without exposing them to the media, we can keep it all under wraps and the only input I'll have will be financial which can be organised through my lawyers. You literally never have to see me again".

And that was it, right?

"No".

Oh Lord.

The billionaire's mind went blank for a moment, shocked at the refusal. It had to be the money, right? She wanted more money. That's fine, he could do money. He'd do whatever it took to get that woman out of his office and out of his life. 

God, why did he sleep with her?

"Like I said, money is no object. If a few extra numbers in your bank account would help to settle your mind then that can absolutely be arranged", he flashed a signature Stark smile, all teeth and no sincerity, acting as though his heart wasn't about to fly right out of his rib cage.

"No, Stark, that's not how this is going to work".

Fucking hell what did she want?

And he was getting frustrated. Why couldn't she just tell him what she wanted? If she was taking it to the press, why not just say so? Or did she want to watch him squirm? Was she even pregnant? Was it just an elaborate operation to get under his skin?

"I don't understand", because he didn't.

Even worse, he could see the satisfaction in her eyes. She knew that he was uncomfortable, that he was worried and impatient. She knew exactly what she was doing and she was loving every drawn-out second. 

"I don't want the baby".

Relief should have washed over him, but he wasn't stupid. There had to be something else, she had to be taking it to the press, that's what it was about. She wanted to expose him in all of his playboy glory, have the media follow him around for months on end, asking about a baby he wasn't even having. The board of directors (and Pepper) were going to have his head. He was fucked, absolutely fucked.

"So.. you're having an abortion?", he asked wearily, ready for her to announce her totally original plan to tear his reputation to shreds, as though the press didn't know that he slept with a different woman each night.

"No".

Oh.

"I have nothing against abortions, I just don't want one".

Tony could actually feel his brain turning to sludge. At that point, he would have preferred Anais threw open the window and announced her pregnancy to the whole world, if it only meant that the tedious experience would've been over and the media could have moved on as quickly as they'd pick it up.

"Putting it up for adoption then, what do you want from me?".

Anais laughed. It was cold and empty, sending chills through the mechanic's veins. "Tony I'm not having an abortion and I'm not putting him up for adoption. I'm going to carry him to full term and then I'm going to give him to you and you're going to raise him. I will be the one to exit his life".

Tony Stark had found himself in some odd situations before, trapped in elevators with excessive enthusiasts, kidnapped and held at gunpoint in a cave. But nothing could have prepared him to deal with that. 

Words failed him. Because what the hell was he supposed to say to that? There was never any protocol to deal with delusional women who wanted him to keep their child and break off contact. He had just assumed that he could pay her off, as if it would have made even a dent in his bank account. And he couldn't.

Could he?

"I- I mean.. what?!".

She rolled her eyes, "You heard me. This isn't a discussion".

Like a fish out of water, the usually quick-witted genius opened and closed his mouth a few times, achieving no valid effect, "And what if I don't take it? You can't just force a baby onto me".

"You'll be the one to send him into the system. His shitty life will be on you".

And he just couldn't comprehend it, his brain ran in pointless loops like a computer program gone wrong. 

"Him.. you keep saying him, is it a boy?".

She shrugged, as nonchalantly as though she were discussing whether it was going to rain tomorrow, "I'm pretty certain".

Tony paused again, still not up to his usual standards in conversational skills, "Well have you had a scan? Have they said it's a boy?".

"No, I'm only just ten weeks pregnant, today is the first day I could get one, and you can't find out the gender until sixteen weeks".

"So when you refer to him.. ?"

"I just know".

So she's crazy as well as intimidating as fuck.

"Miss Clark, I apologise, but I won't be taking custody of the child. If you would like to take any form of legal action you can contact my law team and we can settle this inside or outside of a courtroom".

He found himself swerving back to the protocol once again, unable to shake the professional facade he'd treasured as a shield other than his ironman suits. One he could maintain without threatening death.

"You will be the one to place this baby into the system".

The cogs were whirring again, pure disbelief flooding his system.

"Why does it matter who does it?".

She smirked, upper lip almost quirking into a snarl and the playboy was reminded why he only did drunken one night stands instead of actually getting caught up in their messy social lives.

Look how great that turned out, Tony.

"Because you won't go through with it".

Why? Why wouldn't I go through with it?

"Why the hell not? Putting that kid into the system is the best shot they'd have at a good life. They could get adopted by a nice family and have a completely normal life with a parent that isn't me, what's wrong with that?".

She huffed out a humourless laugh, manicured nails dragged through her ponytail, "Because that wouldn't happen, Stark, he'd end up bouncing through foster homes until he turned eighteen and could drink and smoke himself to death without the stable influence of an adult. You're kidding yourself if you think any kid in the care of the state is going to grow up happy. And once you hand that child over, you have no control. Your money is worthless because your son will be gone and abandoned. He'll grow up admiring Ironman and hoping to be like his hero someday, oblivious to his parentage. That, would be on you".

Tony Stark doesn't like letting his heart make decisions. He's known for being detached, calculating and methodical. His actions are cold and mechanical, being blinkered is required for precision.

But there are always instances in which it doesn't work out. 

It felt as though there was a disruption in a line of coding, a glitch in his system. No matter how much he desperately wanted to, he couldn't delete the image of his son from his head. Doe eyes pooling with tears burned themselves into his brain, a mess of chestnut curls flopping on a perfectly formed head. He's shrinking into his Ironman shirt, huddled in the corner of a barely lit room, shivering and vulnerable and sad and-

"What's in the folder?".

She smiled, fully aware that she'd gotten to him, that there was no way the billionaire philanthropist was going to allow his child to be chucked into the system. "My lawyers have very kindly written up some papers for us, just to seal the deal".

The turning of the mechanic's stomach when the mother of his child referred to the baby as a 'deal' solidified his decision, she wouldn't hesitate to throw this child into the lion's den and if he had the power to prevent that then he'd do what he had to do.

So he signed.


	4. oh, how it feels so real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But this was different. This wasn't aliens or tin-man copycats, it was nothing he could punch or blast into another dimension. A baby, his baby, was so different to all of that. This was a life form, one which he would be responsible for.

Tony Stark was not unfamiliar with oxygen deprivation. 

The burning and twisting of his lungs, incessant thumping of his heart in his seemingly flimsy rib cage, the onslaught of useless, airy thoughts were in many ways reminiscent of a distant and distasteful relative.

He wished he was unfamiliar with oxygen deprivation.

Unfortunately, PTSD happens to be an occupational hazard of superhero-ing, so it's no surprise that panic attacks often reared their ugly heads. 

But this was different. This wasn't aliens or tin-man copycats, it was nothing he could punch or blast into another dimension. A baby, his baby, was so different to all of that. This was a life form, one which he would be responsible for. It was no secret amongst the team that Tony had issues with self-preservation, that his sleeping and eating schedules left much to be desired; how the hell was he supposed to schedule sleeping and eating for a baby?

As soon as Anais left the room his veil slipped. The supposed reflex of oxygen intake was abandoned in place of hyperventilation, fast-paced redundant breaths plaguing his body. On instinct his hand flew to his chest, clawing at his shirt as though tearing his skin to shreds would relieve an ounce of the sheer terror.

An echo of Jarvis' familiarity made it through his wall of panic and into his ears, but all his brain managed to register was that the voice was safe. 

It was only a matter of minutes - agonising, breathless minutes but minutes all the same - before Pepper Potts' authority could be sensed, seconds before she burst through the office door.

A picture of organisation and efficiency, Pepper Potts was a beacon of light in the messy cave that became Tony's life after his parents' deaths. Imperfectly immaculate, is an appropriate description, in her appearance, words, actions. She's perfect.

Every single time she entered a room, the ice-cool billionaire had to take a moment to pretend he wasn't smitten, she was a curse to his facade. There was an extensive list in his mind which he checked through each time he found himself staring: Melty eyes? Red cheeks? Fluttery chest?

That time, when she entered the room there was no check list, the panic only increased. What if he'd fucked it all up with Pepper? What if she didn't want kids? If she turned around right then and left forever? What then?

Through his blinding panic he didn't notice as Pepper took in his anxious form and crouched next to his chair. Her hands came to rest on his body, one on his shoulder and the other preventing his hand from clawing at his shirt. He was unaware of what she was saying, but it was soft and gentle and before he knew it he was breathing like a regular human being.

The room was spinning and his heart was pounding, but his lungs were regaining something of their natural function and Pepper's face was coming into focus in front of his eyes, that in itself was a notable improvement. 

"-t's it, good ,Tony, just breathe", her voice was light and careful, as though afraid that she'd speak too loudly and cause him to dip back into an ocean of panic. 

"Pep I.." he trailed off, unable to think of a tactical way to lay his words, especially with anxiety clouding his vision and the freshness of the situation, "Pep I did something really stupid".

She blinked, "Stupid? How stupid are we talking here Tony? Stupid as in you got someone pregnant or stupid as in you signed a dodgy contract?".

He blanched.

It was as if karma had been waiting. It was as though every single reckless, irresponsible, tactless action in his inconsequential life had stacked up to that moment. If Tony Stark believed in God he'd have been 100% certain that that particular instance was set up by a higher power with the pure intention of acquired revenge.

Nothing had ever been crueller.

"Both, Pepper, I did both".

***

The aftermath had been messy, there had been shouting and swearing and crying, both engaged in total inner turmoil. It felt to Tony like some twisted fever dream, the events of the day still not completely sinking in. 

Hot, white rage boiled in his veins. He wanted to pretend that it was directed at Pepper, or Anais, or even his unborn baby, but when he fell back into another round of hyperventilation he had to accept that the only person he was truly angry at was himself. He was an idiot.

He'd been disgustingly lucky that he hadn't impregnated someone before then, it was as much his responsibility as it was hers. That baby was relying on him for some sense of stability in his life, Tony Stark may have been the only human being on Earth willing to make him feel wanted. And if not, that would've been on him.

Howard Stark was cold. He was cruel, indifferent and arguably heartless. His suck-it-up form of 'parenting' was perhaps the perfect stepping stone in the formation of Tony's twisted and messed-up life. Tony was determined to take that resentment with him to his grave. 

If he were to abandon that child (not that he could once he'd signed the contract), there'd have been a strong possibility that he'd simply continue the cycle. If Tony had managed to fuck up another human being, he'd never have forgiven himself. 

Both the billionaire and his ceo had fallen silent, turning the news over and over in their heads, trying to make sense of it. At some point they'd both come to sit on the floor, backs against the glass wall which overlooked New York City. Of course, Tony already knew what he had to do, he just had to figure out how to make it sound reasonable to anybody that wasn't living in his messy brain. 

"I've got to be better than my dad, Pep".

She looked up, silent but seemingly searching his face for something, "You really mean it, don't you? You're going to raise this child".

He nodded, looking down at his hands for a moment before meeting her eyes, "I can't abandon him".

"Him?".

In all honesty, he hadn't even realised the pronoun had slipped out, and the explanation for it sounded stupid coming out of his mouth, "Yeah she uh-" he surprised himself with the chuckle that escaped him, "She's adamant it's a boy".

A ghost of a smile passed over Pepper's lips as she nodded slowly, "If you're serious about this Tony, if you know exactly what you're doing and you're going to raise this child to the best of your ability.. then I am with you every step of the way".

And suddenly, the task didn't seem so daunting.


End file.
